KZLA Was Doomed For Failure

[mostb1]

From LARadio.com

KZLA Was Doomed for Failure
by Robert Fox

Bob Fox founded KHAY-Ventura in 1971 and operated it until he sold it 9 ½ years ago. Fox writes: “After introducing the Country format, in a few years it became the highest rated station in Ventura County and always was rated 1 or 2 in the adult demos. Most of the time it was the leader. What follows are my comments re: KZLA -

For those who are interested in why Emmis determined to drop their Country format, the answer is not too complicated. First of all, the manner in which Emmis presented Country was doomed for failure. The programming, formatics, talent, on the air promotions, etc. were inconsistent with what is necessary for a successful Country station.

Country is a very personal format and the listeners look to the station to provide insight and communication with respect to the music and the artists. In other words the on-the-air personalities must understand and love Country music. There is a place in the Los Angeles market for a well programmed Country station. Although Emmis talks about the diversity of the L.A. market with respect to the various ethnic groups in L.A, it is interesting to note that Riverside/San Bernardino, Oxnard/Ventura and Bakersfield all have a higher percentage of Hispanic residents than does Los Angeles although none of those three markets have much of an Asian population. In the three markets named above KFRG, KHAY and KUZZ are at or near the top of the ratings and have been for years.

Personally, I think KFRG is one of the most entertaining Country stations I have heard.

Some 4 years ago, I wrote to Emmis corporate offices in Indianapolis and offered some thoughts on the failure of KZLA to generate respectable ratings. I began by pointing out that radio is a ‘product oriented’ business. By that I meant that there must exist compelling, entertaining and informative programming in order to connect with and build an audience - revenues will follow, but programming comes first.

I went on to say that I believed that KZLA was a very badly programmed station. It sounded like an AC station that played Country music. And even if it was just an AC station, the formatics were awful. Country stations must connect with an adult audience.

With respect to the morning show Peter Tilden has a team that sits in with him and Tilden has a rather low key, droll approach that appears to be directed more to his team rather than to the listener. In other words the three often are communicating with one another rather than the listener. And the team giggles and laughs at Tilden's humor [?] It sounds like canned laughter. It sounds like inside humor and I don't believe it connects with the audience.

The midday dj had an upbeat somewhat frantic style and there ensued much shouting on his part when a contest winner phoned in.

Station breaks often had 1 to 3 promos, e.g. ‘the New KZLA,’ followed by a contest [‘Double Your Salary’], followed by another contest and then straight to music. The station seemed canned and it seemed as though every break included either ‘the New KZLA’ promo or the ‘Double Your Salary’ promo. This is no exaggeration.

There was little information forthcoming regarding traffic reports - they just happened. The station was loaded with promos and it made the station sound noisy and irritating. Someone in programming had equated noise with excitement. The station had little warmth and did not flow. The ratings have been an indication of what has been described.

I believe KZLA should have had close to a 3 share or better in Arbitron if properly programmed. The Country audience is in the 35 to 64 age group. It is not 25 to 34 or 25 to 49. However, a well programmed Country station can rank in the top tier in the 25 to 54 demos. Each time a programmer attempts to get a Country station to skew younger by emulating ‘hot AC’ formatics that Country station fails. Some 10 to 15 years ago, when Country was the rage, a number of stations tried to chip away at traditional Country stations by programming ‘Hot Country’ and ‘Modern Country.’ Those stations never generated much audience and they all fell by the wayside.

Apparently, there now exists a generation of programmers who understand contemporary music formats, but do not have the background or the history to understand what make for a successful Country station. Of course, there are programmers who do understand, but they do not seem to have been involved with KZLA.

Radio is an art form as well as a business and if one doesn't understand how that works, there will be difficulty in achieving success. Frankly, I think it wouldn't be that difficult to program a successful Country station in L.A. A stand alone format such as Country could be huge in L.A. from an audience standpoint and with respect to revenues. To achieve that goal someone at the top had better understand the format.

KZLA never achieved what was possible because it was poorly programmed. End of story.

You can reach Robert L. Fox, former chairman of the Southern California Broadcasters Association, at: [email protected]

 

[SuperRadioFan]

Yeh I read that this morning. Can't wait for The Exalted One to Pontificate on this , especially the part about "it is interesting to note that Riverside/San Bernardino, Oxnard/Ventura and Bakersfield all have a higher percentage of Hispanic residents than does Los Angeles although none of those three markets have much of an Asian population. In the three markets named above KFRG, KHAY and KUZZ are at or near the top of the ratings and have been for years."

 

[davideduardo]

Yeh I read that this morning. Can't wait for The Exalted One to Pontificate on this , especially the part about "it is interesting to note that Riverside/San Bernardino, Oxnard/Ventura and Bakersfield all have a higher percentage of Hispanic residents than does Los Angeles although none of those three markets have much of an Asian population. In the three markets named above KFRG, KHAY and KUZZ are at or near the top of the ratings and have been for years."

Let's start by debunkiing the llies. The LA MSA is 42% Hispanic. Oxnard is only 3% higher, but the IE is a couple of ticks less. So for all practical purposes, they are identical in Hispanic percentage.

However, they are not identical in the critical mass of the community. There are 5 million Hispanics in the LA MSA, and only 185,000 in Oxnard or about 650,000 in the IE. That changes the dynamics of langauge usage, and LA leads in Spanish dominant percentages. Bakersfiesl has a highly assimilated Hispanic population, since the agricultural base goes back many many decades among Hispanics. It is also several points less Hispanic than the other three... but the main issue is that it is much less Spanish dominant than LA. And it is a classic country market, going back decades and decades, too.

LA County has over 10% in Russian, Armenian, Persian and Arab immigrants, 12% Asians and 8% Black. That is 72 to 73 percent ethnic. There is less than a 30%-of-market core for country. The other issue is that it is absurd to think that there is a large country lifestyle group in a city with a net outflow of "other" residents (the exact term used today by Arbitron executives to describe non-Hispanic whites at the PPM seminar in Columbia) and where there is also the hemisphere's second largest Jewish community (Other than Kinky Freedman (sp?), not a prime country target)

The Emmis folks are programmers. Other than Cox, it is the only large group with a programmer in charge. KZLA was researched for the LA lifestyle, not the country lifestyle of Dothan, AL. It did as good a job as could be dpone in a market that is not very country.

In other words, the LA Radio letter fails to take into account the ethnicity and lifestyle of LA today.

 

[romer979fm]

maybe it's just me, but the Robert Fox article sounds a lot like
"I could have programmed it successfully if I wanted to...I just
didn't want to". OK. whatever.
LA is not Oxnard...or Bakersfield...
and KZLA didn't fail...they ran out of available audience to make the
numbers work.

 

[leonardo10]

I agree. They should have programmed to their "core" audience but instead they programmed to appeal to the general over-all population. I also felt that they were a Top 40/AC station that happned to play country CD's. Nothing like the old KIK-FM in the OC. I felt they were more traditional country and you can still find that tradition today as it continues on the K-FROG network of stations.

 

[dr.akbar]

Coulda, woulda, shoulda...all irrelevant. A 1.7 12+ format aint the highest and best use of a Mt Wilson stick. Movin' gives Emmis more synergy with Power than KZLA Country did. The Nurse and I rest our case

 

[gerald]

I think Fox takes a narrow view of country. No one in the biz would make similar monolithic pronouncements about a format called "rock", look how many ways it's sliced and diced.

Same with country, there are different styles and types of country, and each has its followers. Some "country" listeners even like where Shania Twain and Faith Hill have gone, it sure ain't hard country. So-called country barely registers on my radar, but even I can tell there are differences. So let's be a bit more charitable and not say that "country didn't work in LA," let's say "Emmis' attempt at programming their version of country on KZLA didn't work."

 

[Tibbs4]

maybe it's just me, but the Robert Fox article sounds a lot like
"I could have programmed it successfully if I wanted to...I just
didn't want to". OK. whatever.
LA is not Oxnard...or Bakersfield...
and KZLA didn't fail...they ran out of available audience to make the
numbers work.

CR -- gotta agree, too. I have always been shocked that they had the consistent base they had, when LA is the cutting-edge, alternative
thinking, open-minded move-on-to-the-next-great-thing market they actually managed to park a lot of loyal listeners for years. Like Oldies
elsewhere, things (and age) just played out. Now, if you had gone there 24/7 live and on-air, they'd be # uno today and we'd be having
no discussion on this subject.

 

[romer979fm]

obviously you didn't see the last book...

 

[doublecashkgb]

Fox didn't hit all the corners of the plate correctly with his missive on KZLA. But he was
right in general. As Sean Ross would say, it should have been country with no excuses.
David Eduardo one day will research his behind right out the business, I've never seen a guy
with more excuses, backed up by anecdotal statistics. It's interesting how he dodged &
weaved and even brought Bakersfield into the discussion.

 

[zumahans]

Fox didn't hit all the corners of the plate correctly with his missive on KZLA. But he was
right in general. As Sean Ross would say, it should have been country with no excuses.
David Eduardo one day will research his behind right out the business, I've never seen a guy
with more excuses, backed up by anecdotal statistics. It's interesting how he dodged &
weaved and even brought Bakersfield into the discussion.

... A Town South of Bakersfied volumes 1, 2 and 3 are in my CD case. Very nice local country. SO, don;y go trashing my new amigo mejor, el Pluperfecfto.

(But, you're right).

 

[davideduardo]

Fox didn't hit all the corners of the plate correctly with his missive on KZLA. But he was
right in general. As Sean Ross would say, it should have been country with no excuses.
David Eduardo one day will research his behind right out the business, I've never seen a guy
with more excuses, backed up by anecdotal statistics. It's interesting how he dodged &
weaved and even brought Bakersfield into the discussion.

There was found to be no big country lifestyle group in LA, even with a huge study done for KZLA by the CMA which wanted to preserve country int he market and helped Emmis try to make it work. The result was a country format tailorde to the available audience. If there had been a postion for a harder country sound, Emmis would have done exaclty that.

By the way, research is just a word for asking the lsitener what they want. You can never go wrong by asking and getting their inpot. Making crank statements devoid of any empirical evidence, is, on the other hand, the heighth of arrogance and ignorance. If the show fits....

 

[mostb1]

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-radio27aug27,1,940801.story

EDITORIAL

Country Radio Gets the Blues
Is media consolidation good or bad for L.A.'s stranded legions of country music fans?

August 27, 2006
Los Angeles Times

IT'S PROBABLY ONLY A MATTER OF TIME before someone writes a song about it. KZLA-FM, based in Burbank, abruptly changed formats this month. It now plays something called "rhythmic pop," and the city that was once home to Gene Autry no longer has a country music station.

The format change, as in other big cities that no longer have country stations, stems in large part from changing demographics. A top executive at Emmis Communications, which owns KZLA, told The Times that 60% of the local audience is Latino, Asian or African American, while "country fans are about 98% Caucasian." The top slots in Arbitron's local radio rankings have been dominated in recent years by stations offering Spanish programming, hip-hop, R&B and pop hits, while KZLA's ratings have been mired just outside the Top 20.

The other significant change in the last decade was the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which triggered a wave of consolidation in the radio business. Instead of a local limit of two stations (one AM, one FM) and a national limit of 40, the law allowed companies to control up to eight stations in the largest local markets and an unlimited number nationally. Opponents of deregulation blame it for many of radio's ills, including narrower playlists and less diversity. But advocates — particularly Clear Channel Communications, which skyrocketed from 40 stations to about 1,200 — say the more stations a company owns in a market, the more formats it will offer.

There's logic to that argument. If a company has only a few stations, it is likely to target the biggest demographic groups in a market. The more stations, the more incentive to expand its reach by going after smaller niches. In reality, though, many groups offer multiple variations on one or two formats, hoping to capture as much of the biggest audience segments as possible. KZLA's switch brings its format closer to that of Emmis' other station in Los Angeles, KPWR-FM, which is an urban-hits outlet. Similarly, Clear Channel's five stations in and around Los Angeles all offer hit songs from a narrow range of genres.

Southern California's country music audience is nothing to sneeze at — more country CDs are sold in Los Angeles than in any other city. Granted, country doesn't dominate the Billboard Top 200, but neither is it a niche genre. So you'd think that some local radio broadcaster would leap at the chance to fill the void left by KZLA. Otherwise, the field will be conceded to competitors in neighboring counties and on satellite, putting more distance in the public's mind between "local" and "radio."

 

[mostb1]

Richard Wagoner is still an idiot. Movin will be a hit. It's Clear Channel's fomats, KBIG, Hot and to a lesser extent KIIS and Star that are going to take the hit.

Originally published Friday, August 25, 2006

On the airwaves: Country music radio disappears from L.A.
BY RICHARD WAGONER

Seems like every time I go on a vacation, something big happens in radio. Last week was no exception, as KZLA (93.9 FM) dropped country while I was with the family in a condo in Mammoth.

In case you missed it -- and judging by the volume of e-mail I've received, you didn't -- KZLA switched formats from country music to "urban adult contemporary" on the morning of Aug. 17. As reported in the Daily Breeze, even the program director was taken by surprise. The move leaves Los Angeles without a country station.

Funny thing, when KZLA went country in 1980, the format was sweeping the nation. KLAC (570 AM) already was playing it, KHJ (930 AM) announced it was going to play it, and KZLA AM and FM went with it to steal some of KHJ's thunder.

By the end of 1980, that made for four country stations in Los Angeles alone, not counting those in other cities that could be heard here.

Now, unfortunately, an entire format has disappeared from the local airwaves. For the radio industry, that's bad. Expect an increase in XM and Sirius subscribers in the coming months, and a continued decline in the number of people even turning on a regular radio.

One of the few well-produced and listenable stations on FM is gone.

Sure, there are those who say this is a great move on the part of owner Emmis. In fact, every story I've read, including in last week's Daily Breeze, speaks of the changing demographics in Los Angeles, and the synergy in selling ads for the new Movin' 93.9 and sister hip-hop station Power 106.

I disagree. First, with country, Emmis had a format exclusive, followed by an audience that is fiercely loyal, relatively young and with lots of spending money. With more than 25 years in the format, it was a heritage station, one with nationwide influence that could truly sell itself.

Movin', on the other hand, plays the same music that can be found on numerous other stations in town including KIIS-FM (102.7), KBIG (104.3 FM), KJLH (102.3 FM), The Beat (100.3 FM), Hot 92.3 FM and, to a lesser extent, Jack (93.1 FM) and Power 106 itself. Hardly a musical mix that people can't already get.

Rick Dees for mornings is probably a good choice, but one must remember that Dees most certainly did not make KIIS-FM the powerhouse it was in the 1980s. Rather, it was the entire package: Dees in the morning with some of the best top-40 jocks in the country (Big Ron O'Brian, Bruce Vidal, Paul Freeman, et al) the rest of the day, and contests, promotions and presentation that were first-rate.

It also helped that KIIS-FM had the top-40 format essentially to itself, at least on FM.

Finally, Emmis is not known for brilliance. Instead, the company is known for overly researching everything it does, and having consultant Guy Zapoleon on board at Movin' is proof. Zapoleon is also a research-before-you-use-the-bathroom kind of guy, as are most consultants.

As an example of Emmis research, when 105.9 FM was called Magic 106, it was late adding Randy Newman's "I Love L.A." because it didn't test well in ... Indianapolis. The amazing success of Power 106 was an accident -- Emmis wasn't sure it wanted to even try it at first.

From what I've heard so far on Movin', including has-been hits from Ricky Martin, Lou Bega and Will Smith, along with hits already overplayed on the stations previously listed, it will take a miracle for this station to attract an audience.

Unless it changes drastically, I give it a year. Two tops.

 

[Jay F]

I am surprised nobody is pointing out the obvious. There are lot's of REDNECKS in both the IE and Oxnard/Ventura (and certainly Bakersfield). That's why country music does well in those markets. I don't mean that as an insult, rednecks are generally decent, down to earth folks.

LA county is not only extremely ethnic, the whites there tend NOT to be rednecks. Many will not listen to country music no matter what. I disagree with the former owner of KHAY. He was nitpicking KZLA apart and didn't get the big picture. He could have programmed KZLA exactly the way he wanted and the share would not have been much different than it was.

 

[briancraig]

I would hate to hear what Jay F calls listeners of KJLH or KLVE or KFOX.

 

[zumahans]

By the way, research is just a word for asking the lsitener what they want. You can never go wrong by asking and getting their inpot. Making crank statements devoid of any empirical evidence, is, on the other hand, the heighth of arrogance and ignorance. If the show fits....

The above paragraph is game, set and match for me to prove why American terrestial radio is so unbearably bad. Research, interpreted by the trained monkeys who run American radio, is why corporate radio sucks.

Radio programming is subjective, listening tastes are subjective, and empirical data is objective. There is often a huge disconnect between the two.

People have written PhD studies about this.

I worked at a major LA TV station in the 1980s that wanted to spend a whole lot of money on research, to bring the ratings for the lowest-rated newscast up. They spent millions on research, and they spent millions more to implement the research.

The people said they wanted local news. We gave them local news, so local that the newspapers mikssed it.

They wanted "stars" delivering the news. We gave them stars - people hwo tested very well in the research.

They wanted serious news. They got it.

Ditto for celebrity news. We piled it on.

The research showed that what LA wanted was exactly what the brain trust delivered: The Newswheel at KCBS TV Action News.

Maybe you remember that train wreck of May, 1989, I believe? I watched it happen.

Perfect example of letting research take over.

Now, here is why research in radio is so destructive:

It tells the researcher exactly what he wants to hear.

Push-polling. An old trick.

D-E makes his living snipping out a figure here, shining up a datum there, and pushing it to sales people, radio management, and the dupes who believe him here.

He never gives access to the figures he bases his information on, because it is proprietary.

IThis data is also highly suspect. The sample size if often too small. the methodology is outmoded. It undercounts minorities. It overcounts minorities. Even the radio industry can;t get behind a single technology.

There are lies, damn lies, and statistics.And further out, way out in the ether, is radio research.

I don't buy it. Only a fool, or an NAB dupe like David Edward, would put any stock into those chicken bones and entrails.

 

[davideduardo]

The above paragraph is game, set and match for me to prove why American terrestial radio is so unbearably bad. Research, interpreted by the trained monkeys who run American radio, is why corporate radio sucks.

Radio programming is subjective, listening tastes are subjective, and empirical data is objective. There is often a huge disconnect between the two.

People have written PhD studies about this.

I worked at a major LA TV station in the 1980s that wanted to spend a whole lot of money on research, to bring the ratings for the lowest-rated newscast up. They spent millions on research, and they spent millions more to implement the research.

The people said they wanted local news. We gave them local news, so local that the newspapers mikssed it.

They wanted "stars" delivering the news. We gave them stars - people hwo tested very well in the research.

They wanted serious news. They got it.

Ditto for celebrity news. We piled it on.

The research showed that what LA wanted was exactly what the brain trust delivered: The Newswheel at KCBS TV Action News.

Maybe you remember that train wreck of May, 1989, I believe? I watched it happen.

Perfect example of letting research take over.

Now, here is why research in radio is so destructive:

It tells the researcher exactly what he wants to hear.

Push-polling. An old trick.

D-E makes his living snipping out a figure here, shining up a datum there, and pushing it to sales people, radio management, and the dupes who believe him here.

He never gives access to the figures he bases his information on, because it is proprietary.

IThis data is also highly suspect. The sample size if often too small. the methodology is outmoded. It undercounts minorities. It overcounts minorities. Even the radio industry can;t get behind a single technology.

There are lies, damn lies, and statistics.And further out, way out in the ether, is radio research.

I don't buy it. Only a fool, or an NAB dupe like David Edward, would put any stock into those chicken bones and entrails.

You think that you have a winning argument because you are aware of the fact that I can not reveal proprietary in house research results any more than someone in a comparable position at CocaCola can reveal thd formula for Coke. However, I can show you what research in competent hands can do, and prove you 100% wrong at the same time.

The simple fact is that it takes great programmers and great research to win in todays over-populated markets. I can not speak for CBS or Clear Channel or other broadcasters. I can only offer up our formula: Univision radio in 25-54 is up 28% from Spring of 2005. we have the #1 Spanish station in LA, Chicago, Miami, Houston, McAllen, San Antonio, Dallas, Phoenix, San Diego, LA, San Francisco, Fresno and Las Vegas. We have #1 and #2 in LA, San Diago, Fresno, Phoenix, san Antonio, Houston, Miami, Chicago. Etc. You can check the ratings in any of theonline sources. we believe our research efforts have added nearly $1 billion to the value of our radio stations in the last few years.

Research has discovered for us formats like Recuerdo, a unique, never before done mix of genres from the lat 40 years, and a playlist approaching 2,000 songs. We converted 12 statins to this format in a 4 month period, and all but two are #1 or #2 Spanish in thier markets, and those are the ones that converted most recently... 4 to 5 months ago. Research found the blend and the passion for the format... our PD, Amalia González so accurately interpreted the research and the lifestyle that in her first test, of 1200 songs 1174 scored as usable. She took that music and found the right talent to put with it, to provide a friendly, seemingly unformatted approach that uses lots of community events and activities to bond with listeners.

When one controls the research process, they can specify who the target is, verify the questionnaires and see the results. The researcher has no agenda if the purpose of the research is to improve performance of the company and each station. Sample size is determined by base replication studies (at what point is the sample big enough so that every time you repeat the same sample, you get the same results with different random groups) So there is no sample size issue (I can do a music test over and over in the same market against the same recruit specs and get the same results over and over) We do not over or undercount minorities, as we select random samples from within our listener base.

If you are taling about Arbitron, the industry is behind the diary. Advertisers are behind the meter. So we will get the meter, and pay 60% more for it. There is total consensus. Whe you see suggestions about other methodologies, that is just to use to negotiate with Arbitron. Arbitron has 100% client acceptance, and that means radio is behind them 100%.

Arbitron has not under or overcounted any minority since the 70's when they implemented DST and HDHA and HDBA sampling. Minority and ethnic sampling is as representative of the population as a whole as the age and sex divisions are, meaning they are within just a couple of percent of the population being measured, requiring very minimal weighting to get 100% proportionality on every stratification variable.

As with anything, fools with tools creat disasters. You give a machine gun to a chimpanzee, and they will do harm. You give research to a moron and you get the same results. Even the most successfully researched products fail about 30% to 40% of the time... just ask P&G. But unresearched ones fail about 90% of the time. Same applies to radio.

 

[researcher]

The above paragraph is game, set and match for me to prove why American terrestial radio is so unbearably bad. Research, interpreted by the trained monkeys who run American radio, is why corporate radio sucks.

Radio programming is subjective, listening tastes are subjective, and empirical data is objective. There is often a huge disconnect between the two.

People have written PhD studies about this.

I worked at a major LA TV station in the 1980s that wanted to spend a whole lot of money on research, to bring the ratings for the lowest-rated newscast up. They spent millions on research, and they spent millions more to implement the research.

The people said they wanted local news. We gave them local news, so local that the newspapers mikssed it.

They wanted "stars" delivering the news. We gave them stars - people hwo tested very well in the research.

They wanted serious news. They got it.

Ditto for celebrity news. We piled it on.

The research showed that what LA wanted was exactly what the brain trust delivered: The Newswheel at KCBS TV Action News.

Maybe you remember that train wreck of May, 1989, I believe? I watched it happen.

Perfect example of letting research take over.

Now, here is why research in radio is so destructive:

It tells the researcher exactly what he wants to hear.

Push-polling. An old trick.

D-E makes his living snipping out a figure here, shining up a datum there, and pushing it to sales people, radio management, and the dupes who believe him here.

He never gives access to the figures he bases his information on, because it is proprietary.

IThis data is also highly suspect. The sample size if often too small. the methodology is outmoded. It undercounts minorities. It overcounts minorities. Even the radio industry can;t get behind a single technology.

There are lies, damn lies, and statistics.And further out, way out in the ether, is radio research.

I don't buy it. Only a fool, or an NAB dupe like David Edward, would put any stock into those chicken bones and entrails.

You think that you have a winning argument because you are aware of the fact that I can not reveal proprietary in house research results any more than someone in a comparable position at CocaCola can reveal thd formula for Coke. However, I can show you what research in competent hands can do, and prove you 100% wrong at the same time.

The simple fact is that it takes great programmers and great research to win in todays over-populated markets. I can not speak for CBS or Clear Channel or other broadcasters. I can only offer up our formula: Univision radio in 25-54 is up 28% from Spring of 2005. we have the #1 Spanish station in LA, Chicago, Miami, Houston, McAllen, San Antonio, Dallas, Phoenix, San Diego, LA, San Francisco, Fresno and Las Vegas. We have #1 and #2 in LA, San Diago, Fresno, Phoenix, san Antonio, Houston, Miami, Chicago. Etc. You can check the ratings in any of theonline sources. we believe our research efforts have added nearly $1 billion to the value of our radio stations in the last few years.

Research has discovered for us formats like Recuerdo, a unique, never before done mix of genres from the lat 40 years, and a playlist approaching 2,000 songs. We converted 12 statins to this format in a 4 month period, and all but two are #1 or #2 Spanish in thier markets, and those are the ones that converted most recently... 4 to 5 months ago. Research found the blend and the passion for the format... our PD, Amalia González so accurately interpreted the research and the lifestyle that in her first test, of 1200 songs 1174 scored as usable. She took that music and found the right talent to put with it, to provide a friendly, seemingly unformatted approach that uses lots of community events and activities to bond with listeners.

When one controls the research process, they can specify who the target is, verify the questionnaires and see the results. The researcher has no agenda if the purpose of the research is to improve performance of the company and each station. Sample size is determined by base replication studies (at what point is the sample big enough so that every time you repeat the same sample, you get the same results with different random groups) So there is no sample size issue (I can do a music test over and over in the same market against the same recruit specs and get the same results over and over) We do not over or undercount minorities, as we select random samples from within our listener base.

If you are taling about Arbitron, the industry is behind the diary. Advertisers are behind the meter. So we will get the meter, and pay 60% more for it. There is total consensus. Whe you see suggestions about other methodologies, that is just to use to negotiate with Arbitron. Arbitron has 100% client acceptance, and that means radio is behind them 100%.

Arbitron has not under or overcounted any minority since the 70's when they implemented DST and HDHA and HDBA sampling. Minority and ethnic sampling is as representative of the population as a whole as the age and sex divisions are, meaning they are within just a couple of percent of the population being measured, requiring very minimal weighting to get 100% proportionality on every stratification variable.

As with anything, fools with tools creat disasters. You give a machine gun to a chimpanzee, and they will do harm. You give research to a moron and you get the same results. Even the most successfully researched products fail about 30% to 40% of the time... just ask P&G. But unresearched ones fail about 90% of the time. Same applies to radio.

David:

For the most part, I agree with you. I think that you have to be able to interpret the research. I think you can test "My Girl" at a Classic Rock station and it will test. It doesn't mean you play it.

It does amaze me though how concepts like "Free FM" come to fruition. That is something that has yet to do anything but cause CBS problems. And, they have a great braintrust of people there.

However, you look at how well "Jack-FM" was executed in Los Angeles. On paper, you would've really thought it was a tough sell (a very white format in a very ethnic market) - but it has worked to near perfection.

The people putting together the research need to understand what to ask and know what they are looking for.

You did exactly that with "Recuerdo" - but it also had to be executed properly - and you did so.

We also have a business of "follow the leader." "Jack-FM" in Las Vegas shouldn't be the same as L.A. which isn't the same as San Diego. That's where some big broadcasters go wrong. Every market has a different competitive landscape. I've worked with the same format in two different markets at the same time - and the sounds were different because of the competition and the ethnic make-up of the market,

 

[Jay F]

I would hate to hear what Jay F calls listeners of KJLH or KLVE or KFOX.

You really have the wrong impression of me. I would never say anything bad or racist about any radio stations audience. As for the term "redneck". I guess you didnt see my disclaimer. I don't mean that as an insult.

A lot of country listeners and artists consider themselves rednecks. Have you ever heard the song "Redneck Yacht Club" by Craig Morgan? Is the term redneck considerded insulting or negative in that song? No way!